Nebraska, 1978

Tornadoes and Hail in Nebraska, April 7, 1978

April 7, 1978 · NWS MT · 20 events in 11 counties and zones

9 hail, 7 tornado, 4 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
1
Property damage
$55 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
20

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

9 hail, 7 tornado, 4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Webster

When
April 7, 5:25 PM CST
Where
Webster County
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
20 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
40.030, -98.500

Hail, Hall

When
April 7, 5:30 PM CST
Where
Hall County
Measured
3 in hail
Coordinates
40.080, -98.350

Tornado, Webster

When
April 7, 5:40 PM CST
Where
Webster County
Rating
F2
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
10 yd
Property damage
$250
Coordinates
40.080, -98.330

Hail, Hall

When
April 7, 6:50 PM CST
Where
Hall County
Measured
5 in hail
Coordinates
40.920, -98.350

Hail, Polk

When
April 7, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Polk County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
41.180, -97.550

Hail, Clay

When
April 7, 7:15 PM CST
Where
Clay County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
40.370, -97.970

Thunderstorm Wind, Douglas

When
April 7, 7:30 PM CST
Where
Douglas County
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates
41.270, -96.130

Hail, Hall

When
April 7, 8:00 PM CST
Where
Hall County
Measured
1.5 in hail
Coordinates
40.920, -98.430

Tornado, Hamilton

When
April 7, 8:45 PM CST
Where
Hamilton County
Path length
26.9 mi
Path width
77 yd
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$25 million
Coordinates
40.870, -98.270

Thunderstorm Wind, Hamilton

When
April 7, 9:25 PM CST
Where
Hamilton County
Coordinates
40.870, -98.000

Hail, Merrick

When
April 7, 9:30 PM CST
Where
Merrick County
Measured
3 in hail
Coordinates
41.020, -98.170

Tornado, Polk

When
April 7, 9:35 PM CST
Where
Polk County
Path length
4.3 mi
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$25 million
Coordinates
41.080, -97.830

Thunderstorm Wind, Hamilton

When
April 7, 9:35 PM CST
Where
Hamilton County
Coordinates
41.080, -97.900

Hail, York

When
April 7, 9:50 PM CST
Where
York County
Measured
2.75 in hail
Coordinates
41.200, -97.580

Thunderstorm Wind, Dodge

When
April 7, 9:55 PM CST
Where
Dodge County
Measured
61 kt (70 mph)
Coordinates
41.450, -96.500

Hail, Madison

When
April 7, 10:15 PM CST
Where
Madison County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
42.000, -97.750

Hail, Madison

When
April 7, 10:32 PM CST
Where
Madison County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
41.980, -97.430

Tornado, Polk

When
April 7, 11:10 PM CST
Where
Polk County
Path length
8 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
41.180, -97.420

Tornado, Butler

When
April 7, 11:36 PM CST
Where
Butler County
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
41.300, -97.370

Tornado, Butler

When
April 7, 11:50 PM CST
Where
Butler County
Path length
2 mi
Path width
20 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
41.270, -97.220

What these are

Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Nebraska in 1978Every state in 1978This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Nebraska, 1978

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10068552, 10064887, 10064888, 10064889, 10068556, 10068557, 10068558, 10068559, 10068560, 10068561, 10068562, 10068563, 10068564, 10068565, 10068566, 10068567, 10068568, 10068569, 10068570, 10068571.